looduskalender.ee

Our bird migration map  came to a standstill in mid-November in connection with the upgrading of Google’s map application, and we have not managed to restart it again until now. The map programmers (5D Vision) had much to do at the end of the year, and revising the platform was not easy. But now it works as if there had never been a break in between. All data that we have received in the meantime are on the map. Some birds may not be in an area with transmission, or their transmitter batteries may be empty in this winter with so little light. Thus new data from the white-tailed eagles cannot be expected until March when days grow longer and lighter.

But not only we have scarce light. Light is meagre in South Africa too because the rainy season has arrived, and so weather is cloudy. Our lesser spotted eagles spend their winter there. Max, Magnus and Aadu are for instance in Botswana now. The two latter are in the Chobe National Park that was visited by Estonian nature enthusiasts some months ago, and so we have some photos showing the local conditions.

Mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane) forest maintained by elephants. It is a widely spread biotope in the wintering area of our lesser spotted eagles.

On satellite images differing patches can be seen in the forest. The lighter ones are salt pans, this time with a rain cloud

Other patches in the forest are marshes during the rain period, and grasslands in dry times where faster grass-eaters feel secure